MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

“A new Argentina is emerging”

Elected Argentine president Nestor Kirchner, who takes office next May 25, anticipated he will struggle to recover the government's action capacity and “Argentines can count that I'm not going to be an employee of financial interests”.

Resting for the weekend in the Patagonian province of Santa Cruz which he has ruled for the last twelve years, Mr. Kirchner made it a point to underline that he wasn't going to become a manager for the corporations, but rather a president who will look after the interests of all Argentines.

"We're the representatives of a new way of making politics that is emerging", said Mr. Kirchner adding that "our government will be present to thrust open and ensure access to education and health to all Argentines, to guarantee as much as possible jobs and social inclusion".

When asked about his plans to end poverty and improve distribution, the elected president said that his governments main targets will be to put an end to poverty and social injustice, and to reduce the gap between the rich and the needy.

"We're going to launch a production and job-creating model including a public works program, following Keynes but without fiscal deficit, and a tax reform plus a head on fight against tax evasion and elusion; those who don't pay their taxes will be jailed, take my word".

When asked more specifically about his plans, Mr. Kirchner anticipated a program to build three million homes; a stable exchange rate that helps promote export industries and "a reasonable estimate is 3 Argentine pesos to the US dollar" (the current exchange is 2,80 to the greenback); and strong discussions with the International Monetary Fund.

"We need time to recover our economy, we need several years to improve our payment possibilities with a growing economy and social inclusion", said Mr. Kirchner. Argentina has a provisional (postponing payments) agreement with the IMF that ends next August, and in September is scheduled to repay over 3 billion US dollars.

Further on Mr. Kirchner admitted that the support of caretaker president Eduardo Duhalde was critical to win the presidential election.

"Without the support of the "duhaldismo", the maximum I could have reached on April 27 was 12 to 14% of the vote. However this Sunday if Mr. Menem had competed I would have won with 70 to 75% of the vote".

In his statements to the press Mr. Kirchner has also made it clear he will be taking office not as president of a political party structure (in direct reference to Mr. Duhalde's stronghold in the province of Buenos Aires, the country's main electoral circumscription), but as president of all Argentines.

As to the political support in Congress, Mr. Kirchner said he appeals to all sectors, because "this is a unique opportunity to turn the page and build a new country. I'm sure after all that Argentina and its people have gone through, that we're all determined to build a new country".

Regarding foreign corporations and privatizations, Mr. Kirchner was positive, "if they begin working for the reconstruction of Argentina, great; if they are only interested in financial and individual speculation, evidently they don't know what kind of Argentina is emerging".

Finally Mr. Kirchner stated that most Patagonians feel "very distant" from the rest of Argentina, but "when you look at Patagonia it's like looking at Argentina: it's all there, but everything is to be done".

The elected president is scheduled to return to Buenos Aires on Tuesday when he will announce the names of his cabinet and prepare for the taking office ceremony next Sunday that will have several Latinamerican political stars as first line guests, Hugo Chavez from Venezuela; Fidel Castro from Cuba; Lula da Silva from Brazil; Ricardo Lagos from Chile; Lucio Gutiérrez from Ecuador; Alejandro Toledo from Peru.

Roberto Lavagna the current Minister of Economy is the only confirmed name of the future cabinet. He's the architect of Argentina's current quick recovery who held months long negotiations with the IMF and is considered a crucial man for the transition period. Mr. Lavagna has been promised Foreign Affairs once the new administration settles down.